Picture Credit: X/@WCL
On Tuesday, July 29, India Champions finally broke into the ongoing World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025 with a much-awaited win over West Indies Champions at the Grace Road in Leicester. Coming into the fixture after three consecutive loses and one no result, the Yuvraj Singh-led side held their nerves ad secured a five-wicket win to progress into the semi-finals.
For the unversed, Yuvraj Singh-led India Champions on the toss and invited their opponents from the Caribbean side to bat first. On the back of 43-ball unbeaten 74 from Kieron Pollard and a 21-ball 20 from Dwayne Smith, West Indies posted 144 runs at the loss of nine wickets in their stipulated 20 overs. For India, Piyush Chawla starred with the ball, picking three wickets, whereas Varun Aaron and Start Binny took two while Pawan Nego got one to his name.
Stuart Binny’s all-round show guides India Champions into the WCL 2025 semi-finals
During the run chase, Robin Uthappa and Shikhar Dhawan got to a decent start, but the former departed after scoring eight runs. Shikhar Dhawan also could not play an impactful knock and added only 25 runs. With the quick wickets of Gurkeerat Singh Mann and Suresh Raina, the onus was on Stuart Binny, Yuvraj Singh and Yusuf Pathan. While Yuvraj Singh played a 11-ball 21 before falling to DJ Bravo, Stuart Binny played a gritty unbeaten 50.
Yusuf Pathan, who is known for his bizarre hitting, helped the side home with a mammoth six, playing a seven-ball 21* in India’s victory. With a win, India Champions secured a place in the semi-finals, where they are scheduled to play Pakistan Champions on July 31, Yusuf Pathan also fulfilled his son’s promise.
On the final delivery of the match, Yusuf Pathan unleashed the ball over long-on for a maximum. Soon after this, he ran towards the boundary rope where his sons were stationed, waiting for a much-needed reunion. While he left his bat on the ground, he quickly ran towards his sons, giving them a warm hug and all of them eventually returned to the field to celebrate this victory.
